Foundry molding machine



Nv.1s,1941. R A 'CROOK ETAL 2,263,351

FOUNDRY MOLDING MACHINE Filed March 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig. I.

d nventvr fad r MM 6m M f @12W i Attorney NOV- 18, 1941 R. A. cRooK E-r AL FOUDRY MOLDING MACHINE Filed March 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 18, 1941 FoUNnnr MOLDING MACHINE Reginald Alexander Crook, lrescot, and Frank Langford Hanna, Huyton, England, assignors to British Insulated Cables Limited, Prescot, England, a British company Application March 26, 1940, Serial No. 326,004 In Great Britain April l, 1939 5 Claims.

This invention is concerned with power operated machines for producing foundry molds. The object of the invention is to provide an improved machine of this type in which a motordriven pump, for supplying the pressure liquid, and the molding machine are constructed as a single unit. By this means the use of external connecting pipes is avoided, the lay-out of the plant is simplied, space is economised and the pump and its drive are enclosed so that they are protected from sand and other deleterious material, while, at the same time, the operator is shielded from possible contact with these moving parts.

In accordance with the invention the pump, with its driving motor and coupling and any other necessary transmitting members, -are mounted within the main frame of the molding machine in such a way that the pump and the molding cylinder operated thereby are at about the same level and are both immersed to a suflicient depth in the liquid used for the pressure transmission (usually oil) in a space enclosed in the frame and providing free ow of liquid so that the return part of the pressure liquid operating circuit can be formed by this enclosure and, accordingly, a pipe is required only for the outgoing part of the circuit, that is the pressure connection between the pump and the cylinder.

The motor with the coupling and pump are preferably arranged vertically, one above the other, with the pump at the lower end, the pump being immersed in the liquid and the motor standing above it. The whole unit is preferably supported through shock-resisting mounting on the main frame of the machine. A comparatively long and curved pipe suliiciently resilient, both as regards its material and its form, then serves to take the pressure fluid from the pump to the valve controlling the cylinder. Such an arrangement minimises the transmission of shocks from the machine frame to the pump and its driving means.

The invention may be applied in a very convenient manner to molding machines of the kind in which the main frame comprises a body containing the operating cylinder for raising and lowering the molding machine table and a pillar placed at one side of this body and carrying the i:

pressure head which ser-ves as an abutment against which the machine table presses the mold. In such cases the body and the pillar enclose communicating spaces and the motor with its driving means can be arranged inside the absorbing pads 2l.

pillar Without appreciably increasing the size of this part of the machine.

The invention is applicable to all types of foundry squeezing and jolting machines and to machines of the type known as jolt-squeeze. An example of the last mentioned type of machine embodying the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of the machine, partly in section, and

Figure 2 is a front elevation, also partly in section.

The main frame consists of a casing in the form of two cylinders l and 2 standing vertically side by side and connected at their lower parts by the wall 3. The shorter cylinder l forms the body of the machine, which has at its upper end v an inwardly extending ange 4 forming the jolting face. Within this body and carried by it is a long vertical cylindrical guide 5, within which works a cylindrical stem 6, carrying at its upper end the machine table 'l which terminates below in a flange 8 adapted to seat upon the jolting face 4 when the table is in its lower position (shown). The stem S has a long bearing surface in its guide 5 and a packing arrangement 9 is provided at the upper end of the guide 5 vto prevent the entrance of sand and other matters. The stem 6 is attached to the head of a ram Hl which works within a hydraulic cylinder H.

The other cylindrical part 2 of the main frame which forms the pillar contains in its lower part a hollow supporting frame l2 within which lies the pump i3. This has a vertical shaft which is coupled above to a y wheel I4 and above that to an electric motor l5. The motor and the transmission and the pump are carried from the supporting frame l2 by means yof shock absorbv ing devices it, attached to the lower end of the fly wheel housing Il. The space enclosed by the walls of the cylinders l and 2 and the connecting wall is closed below by a base I9. This is supported by a sub-base 2l) through shock- The enclosed space forms a reservoir' for oil in 'which the pump i6 and the hydraulic cylinder H and other parts are immersed. The normal oil level is shown by the line 22. rIhe oil is prevented from entering the fly wheel housing Il by the packing 23 round the pump shaft. Below the pump is placed a strainer lli through which the oil passes inward to the pump i3. At one side from the pump body eX- tends a pipe 263 which goes to a valve box 25 which is located below and supports the cylinder Il in which works the ram l attached to the table 1. This box is carried on the base I9.

At the upper end of the pillar 2 is an arm 26 swinging on a vertical pivot 21 and carrying the presser head 28. The squeezing of the mold is effected between the table 1 and the head 28.

At each side of the cylindrical body l of the machine are extensions 29 containing two other hydraulic cylinders and rams 30 which are attached at their upper ends to a frame 3| carrying the means for separating the pattern from the mold. These are four vertical rods 32, which pass upward through holes in the table 1. The cylinders 38 are connected with the valve box 25 by pipes 33. In front of the machine is a smaller pillar 34 serving as a mounting for the operating levers 35 and 36 by which the valves 31 in the valve box 25 for controlling the operation of the machine are moved. The exhaust from the valve box 25 passes out through the exhaust valve 39.

When the machine is in operation a patternY plate 40, carrying a pattern such as 4I, is mounted on the table 1 and a molding box 42 stands on the pattern plate in the appropriate relation to the pattern to provide for the formation of the mold by the consolidation of sand in the box round the pattern. The box can be engaged by the rods 32, in well-known manner, for the purpose of separating the pattern from the mold when the consolidation is complete.

It will be seen from the drawings and the preceding description, that the motor and pump unit is mounted within the enclosed space in the lower part of the machine and the pump is connected with the operating cylinders through the valve box 25 by way of a singlev pipe 24 which is long and curved so that it has the necessary flexibility to take care of vibrations which will necessarily be imparted to it at the end connected with the valve box when the machine is in operation. The operating cylinders ll land 30, together with the pump 3 and strainer I8, are always immersed in oil which can flow freely in the enclosure in which they stand. The whole arrangement is, accordingly, compact and fully enclosedv and immersed in oil so that it is protected from injury and the entry of sand and does not encumber the external working space in any way.

The arrangement of the valves and the hydraulic cylinders is of known kind, and does not form part of the invention. The pump and,

motor can run continuously while the machine is in use, the valves being so arranged that when the oil is not required to be sent in to the hydraulic cylinders it can circulate freely between the pump and valve box.

When the machine is in use as a jolt-squeeze machine the sand is first consolidated by a jolting action, which is produced by the appropriate operation of a jolt and squeeze control valve-operating lever 36 and causes the hydraulic cylinder Il to repeatedly raise .and drop the table 1 through a small stroke, say 4 cm. When the sand has been consolidated round the pattern by this means the additional sand is placed in the upper part of the box and an extension thereof; the presser head 28 is then swung into the position shown in Figure 1 and the lever 36 is operated to cause the cylinder Il to raise the table 1 through a stroke of say 15 cm. and press the pattern and mold box upwards towards the head 28 thereby obtaining the squeezing action by which the mold is finished. The separation of the pattern from the mold is then carried out by the action of the rods 32, when relative motion between these rods and the table 1 is produced. This may be carried out by either of two methods depending on the requirements of the class of Work being produced. In one method, by appropriate operation of stripping control valve lever 35, the rams 30 with frame 3l and rods 32 rise simultaneously with the table 1 during the squeezing operation and separation is effected on the return stroke of the table 1 after squeezing, the box 42 being held up by the rods 32 supported by cylinders and rams 3D, while the pattern falls with the table 1. In thev other method the rods 32 remain at rest while the table 1 rises to effect the squeeze and, when the table 1, with pattern plate 40, pattern 4| and box 42 return to rest position, the presser head 28 is swung to its inoperative position. By appropriate operation of valve lever 35, the rods 32, supported by cylinders and rams 30 are caused to raise the box 42 and separation between mold and pattern is thus effected. When the box 42 containing the mold has been lifted from the machine valve lever 35 is operated to cause the return of rods 32 to their normal positions.

What we claim as our invention is:

l. A power-operated foundry molding machine comprising a hollow frame closed below, a table mounted on and outside said frame, a hydraulic operating device for said table mounted inside said frame, a pump and motor unit also mounted inside said frame, shock absorbing means between said unit and frame and a ilexible pipe connecting said pump and said hydraulic operating device and serving as one half of the hydraulic circuit, said frame forming a reservoir for pressure liquid within which said device and pump are immersed under operating conditions and which serves as the other half of the hydraulic circuit.

2. A power-operated foundry molding machine comprising a hollow frame closed below, a table above said frame, a hydraulic cylinder and ram operatively coupled with said table and carried below it by and inside said frame, a valve box, controlling said cylinder and ram, located inside said frame, an electric motor and pump unit, mounted inside said frame, with shock absorbing means between the unit and frame and a flexible pipe couplingsaid pump and said valve box and serving as one half of the hydraulic circuit, the said frame forming a reservoir for pressure liquid in which the pump valve box and cylinder are immersed under operating conditions and which serves as the other half of the hydraulic circuit.

3. A power-operated foundry molding machine comprising a hollow body, a table mounted on said body, a hollow pillar standing at one side of said body, a pressure head carried by said pillar, said body and pillar being united at their lower parts and forming there a reservoir adapted to receive pressure liquid, a hydraulic operating device for said table, located in the lower part of said body, a pump, located in the lower part of said pillar and feeding said device, and a motor, coupled with said pump and mounted above it in said pillar, the arrangement being such that the hydraulic operating device and the pump are immersed in the pressure liquid under operating conditions.

4. A power-operated foundry molding machine comprising a hollow body, a table mounted on said body, a hollow pillar standing at one side of said body, a pressure head carried by said pillar, said body and pillar being unitedbelow to form a reservoir for pressure liquid, a hydraulic cylinder and ram in the lower part of said body operatively coupled with said table,

a pump in the lower part of said pillar, a motor ed to receive pressure liquid, hydraulic operating devices for jolting, squeezing andv stripping associated with said table and located in the lower part of said body beneath said table, a valve box located in said body below said operating devices and distributing liquid to said devices, a pump located in the lower part of said pillar, a exible pipe connecting said pump and said valve box, a motor coupled with said pump and located above it in said pillar, and shock absorbing means between said pump and motor assembly and said pillar, the pump and operating devices and valve box being immersed in pressure liquid under operating conditions.

REGINALD ALEXANDER CROOK. FRANK LANGFORD HANNA. 

